Dispenser for finely divided materials



June 15, 1954 J. F. WATSON 2,681,169

DISPENSER FOR FINELY DIVIDED MATERIALS Filed March 13, 1952 Patented June 15, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSER FOR FINELY DIVIDED MATERIALS a partnership Application March 13, 1952, Serial No..2 '7 6,286

8 Claims.

This .invention relates to dispensers for finely divided materials, such for example as soaps in powdered or granular form.

One of the objects of this invention is toprovide a dispenser of this type, which is efilcient and reliable in operation and of simplified construction. Another object is to provide a dispenser of this type including a container for the material, the upper part of which is hinged to an upright surface and the lower part of which is yieldingly held in spaced relation to said surface by means of a leaf spring having a part which also controls the discharge of material from the container. A further object is to provide a dispenser of this type with a leaf spring secured to the upper portion thereof and which has a bowed portion extending into engagement with an upright surface on which the dispenser is mounted and which spring has an extension slidable along the bottom of the dispenser and having an opening movable into registration with an opening in the bottom of the dispenser when the lower part of the dispenser is swung toward said upright supporting surface. A still further object of this invention is to provide the dispenser with means of simplified and improved construction for agitating the material in said dispenser for ensuring a discharge of material therefrom.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a central sectional elevation thereof, on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation thereof similar to .Fig. 2, but showing the dispenser moved into position to dispense material therefrom.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation thereof, on line i4, Fig. 3.

The dispenser includes an outer wall 7 of substantially U-shaped form which forms two side walls and an end wall thereof. This outer wall forms a part of the wall of a container for the material, the back and bottom walls being formed by an upright partition 8 secured to 'the sides of the outer wall '3 and the lower portion of which extends downwardly and forwardly at an inclination to form a bottom-9 of the container, thesides "and lower edge of the forwardly extending part 9 .being secured to the outer wall 1 in any usual or suitable manner. 10 constitutes a lid or closure for the top of the container which may be removably mounted on the outer wall 1 in any desired manner. Forsexample in the-construction shown, the outer wall is provided at opposite sides thereof with outwardly extending beads or projections -l l whichcooperate with similarly formed beads or projections I 2 formed on downwardly extending lips or projections I3 of the lid {8. Since the sides of the outer wall 1 and the lips 13 may be readily flexed or sprung toward and from :each other to a limited extent, the beads l i and l 2 may readily move into and out of engagement with each other to release the lid ill for filling the container, and to secure the lid in place.

The dispenser may be hingedly supported at the upper portion thereof .in any suitable or desired manner on an upright surface or wall 14 in such .a manner that the lower portion of the dispenser may swing to a limited extent toward and from the uprightsupporting surface -I t. The dispenser may be mounted in this manner directly on the supporting surface or wall 14, but preferably, as .a supporting member I5 is provided which has a .flat rear portion which may be secured to the upright support It in any desired manner, .for example, by means of screws It. This supporting member at opposite sides thereof has flanges I8 extending outwardly from the wall or supporting surface M. These flanges are preferably so spaced as to extend parallel to the sides of the .outer wall 1 and overlapping the same on the exterior thereof. The outer wall 1 .and the flanges l 8 .are provided with any suitable means .for pivoting the :upper portion of the dispenser .on the supporting member l5, and in the construction shown for this purpose, a hinge .pin .20 is provided which extends through apertures .in the flanges .18 and in rearwardly extending integral lugs 2| .of the outer wall 1, so that the lower portion of the dispenser may swing to .a limited extent toward and from the rear portion of the supporting member 15. The flanges of .the supporting member cooperate with the s'ic les'of the outer wall 1 toguide the dispenser in its movement about the pivot 20, thus relieving the pivotal .mounting from any strains resulting from pressuresapplied to the dispenser in directions other than perpendicular to the pivot pin.

Means are provided for ,yieldingly holding the dispenser in upright ,position in which the lower part thereof is spaced from the upright support as shown in Fig. 2. In the construction shown :for this purpose, :a leaf spring 25 is provided, the upper ,portion-of which "is rigidly secured to the back wall 8 of the container, for example, by

means of a pair of rivets 25. This spring is bowed or inclined rearwardly from its connection with the container wall so as to engage the upright supporting member l to yieldingly urge the dispenser to swing intoposition in which the lower portion thereof is spaced from the supporting member 15. i

This invention provides means for dispensing soap or other material from the container, and in the construction shown for this purpose, the bottom wall 9 of the container is provided with a discharge aperture 28 which is normally closed by a suitable slide or movable member when the container is in the normal position shown in Fig. 2. The closing means includes a slide 30 which is movable lengthwise of the bottom wall 9 of the container and is provided with an opening 3| which is normally out of registration with the opening 28 in the bottom wall of the container when the container is in normal or upright position as shown in Fig. 2. The slide 3i) may be guided for movement along the bottom of the container and held in contact therewith in any suitable manner, for example, by means of a guide pin or rivet 32 secured to the bottom wall of the container and extending through a slot 33 in the slide member 30. This guide pin has a head on the lower end thereof which holds the lower part of the spring in sliding contact with the bottom of the container. The length of the slot may serve to determine the extent to which the slide member 30 may move relatively to the bottom of the container.

The slide 39 is actuated in a suitable or desired manner to move proportionately to the swinging of the lower part of the dispenser toward the upright supporting surface, and in the construction shown, this slide constitutes an integral part of the leaf spring 25, the spring being bent so that the lower portion thereof forms the slide 36, thus producing an economical construction in which only one part is necessary to form the spring for urging the dispenser into normal position and also the slide for controlling the discharge of material from the container.

Preferably the slide is also provided with an upwardly extending ing or projection formed to extend through the discharge opening 23 into the container. This lug may readily be formed from the metal cut from the slide to form the opening 3! therein and is bent outwardly to extend substantially perpendicular to the slide. This lug or projection serves three purposes. In the first place, by extending into the container the lug serves to agitate the material in the container so as to prevent bridging over of the material and ensure proper feeding of the same whenever the openings 28 and 3! are in registration. The lug or projection 35 serves the further purpose of supplementing the pin 32 and slot 33 in connection with the guiding of the slide in its lengthwise movement along the bottom of the wall of the container. The lug or projection also may cooperate with or operate independently of the stop pin or rivet 32 to limit the swinging of the container by the spring 25 into its outer position shown in Fig. 2.

In the operation of the device in order to discharge soap or other material from the container, it is only necessary to push the lower end of the container toward the upright supporting surface It against the action of the spring 25, whereupon the container will be moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3,

causing the slide 30 to move relatively to the bottom of the container for placing the openings 28 and 3! into registration so that material may be discharged from the container. When a sufficient quantity of the material has been discharged, for example, into the hand of the person pushing the lower part of the container toward the upright supporting surface It, the dispenser is released, whereupon the spring 25 will urge the dispenser into the position shown in Fig. 2, thus closing the discharge opening 23 in the bottom of the container.

The dispenser described comprises very few parts, is positive and reliable in operation, and can easily be mounted on a wall or other support.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a dispenser for finely divided material, including a container for said material having a discharge aperture in the bottom thereof, hinge means for supporting the upper portion of said container on an upright surface to swing about a substantially horizontal axis, that improvement which comprises a leaf spring secured to the upper portion of said container and having a rearwardly bowed portion engaging said upright surface for yieldingly holding the lower portion of said container in spaced relation to said upright surface, a part of said spring beyond said bowed portion extending along the bottom of said container and having a part extending across said discharge aperture and a part for uncovering said discharge opening when said lower portion of said container is swung rearwardly against the action of said bowed portion of said spring.

2. In a dispenser for finely divided material, including a container, means for supporting the upper portion of said container on an upright surface to swing about a substantially horizontal axis, that improvement which comprises a leaf spring secured to the upper portion of said container and inclined rearwardly therefrom toward said upright surface, to yieldingly hold the lower portion of said container in spaced relation to said upright surface, said container having a discharge opening for said material in the lower portion thereof, a slide normally closing said opening and having an opening therein, said slide being movable into and out of position to place the opening therein into and out of registration with said opening in said container, said slide being formed integral with said spring and being urged by said spring into position to close said opening in said container.

3. In a dispenser for finely divided material, including a container for said material having a discharge aperture in the bottom thereof, and hinged at the upper portion thereof on a supporting member, that improvement which comprises a leaf spring secured to the upper portion of said container and having a rearwardly bowed portion extending into engagement with said supporting member for yieldingly urging the lower portion of said container into spaced relation to said supporting member, the lower portion of said spring beyond said bowed portion extending along the bottom of said container, and

slidable lengthwise thereof when said container is moved toward and from :said supporting member and having an aperture positioned thereon to move into registration with said discharge aperture when the lower portion of .said container is swung toward said supporting member and having an imperforate portion movable across said discharge aperture to close the same when the lower portion of said container is swung by said spring away from said supporting member, and stop means for limiting the movement of the lower portion of said container away from said supporting member.

4. A dispenser for finely divided material, including a container for said material having a discharge aperture in the bottom thereof, a supporting member formed to be secured to a wall, substantially horizontal hinge means connecting the upper portion of said container and said supporting member, a leaf spring secured to the upper portion of said container and having a rearwardly bowed portion extending into engagement with said supporting member for yieldingly urging the lower portion of said container into spaced relation to said supporting member, the lower portion of said spring beyond said bowed portion extending along the bottom of said container, and slidable lengthwise thereof when said container is moved toward and from said supporting member and having an aperture positioned thereon to move into registration with said discharge aperture when the lower portion of said container is swung toward said supporting member and having an imperforate portion movable across said discharge aperture to close the same when the lower portion of said container is swung by said spring away from said supporting member, and a pin and slot connection between the lower portion of said spring and the bottom of said container for guiding said lower portion of said spring in its movement relatively to the bottom of said container, an end of said slot cooperating with said pin limiting the extent to which said container may move relatively to said supporting member.

5. A dispenser for finely divided material, including a container for said material having a discharge aperture in the bottom thereof, a supporting member formed to be secured to a wall and having forwardly extending flanges at opposite sides thereof which engage opposite sides of said container, hinge means connecting said flanges and the upper portion of said container to enable the lower portion of said container to swing toward and from said supporting member, between said flanges thereof, a leaf spring secured to the upper portion of said container and extending into engagement with said supporting member and urging the lower portion of said container to swing outwardly relatively to said supporting member and a part on said spring extending along the bottom of said container and having means for uncovering said discharge aperture when the lower portion of said container is swung toward said supporting member and for covering said discharge aperture when the lower portion of said container is moved by said spring into spaced relation to said supporting member.

6. A. dispenser for finely divided material, ineludin a container for said material having a discharge aperture in the bottom thereof, a supporting member formed to be secured to a wall, substantially horizontal hinge means connecting the upper portion of said container and said supporting member, a leaf spring secured :to :the upper portion of said container and having a rearwardly bowed portion extending into :engagement withsaid supporting member for yieldingly urging the lower portion of said container .into spaced relation to said supporting member, the lower portion of said spring beyond said bowed portion extending along the bottom of said container, and slidable lengthwise thereof when said container is moved toward and from said supporting member and having an aperture positioned thereon to move into registration with said discharge aperture when the lower portion of said container is swung toward said supporting member and having an imperforate portion movable across said discharge aperture to close the same when the lower portion of said container is swung by said spring away from said supporting member, and a part on said spring which extends upwardly through said discharge aperture for agitating the material in said container.

7. A dispenser for finely divided material, including a container for said material having a discharge aperture in the bottom thereof, a supporting member formed to be secured to a wall, substantially horizontal hinge means connecting the upper portion of said container and. said supporting member, a leaf spring secured to the upper portion or said container and having a rearwardly bowed portion extending into engagement with said supporting member for yieldingly urging the lower portion of said container into spaced relation to said supporting member, the lower portion of said spring beyond said bowed portion extending along the bottom of said container, and slidable lengthwise thereof when said container is moved toward and from said supporting member and having an aperture positioned thereon to move into registration with discharge aperture when the lower portion of said container is swung toward said supporting member and having an imperforate portion movable across said discharge aperture to close the same when the lower portion of said container is swung by said spring away from said supporting member, the metal punched from said aperture in said spring extending upwardly through said discharge aperture in said container to agitate the material in said container.

8. A dispenser for finely divided material, including a container for said material having a discharge aperture in the bottom thereof, a supporting member formed to be secured to a wall, substantially horizontal hinge means connecting the upper portion of said container and said supporting member, a leaf spring secured to the upper portion of said container and having a rearwardly bowed portion extending into engagement with said supporting member for yieldingly urging the lower portion of said container into spaced relation to said supporting member, the lower portion of said spring beyond said bowed portion extending along the bottom of said container, and slidable lengthwise thereof when said container is moved toward and from said supporting member and having an aperture positioned thereon to move into registration with said discharge aperture when the lower portion of said container is swung toward said supporting member and having an imperforate portion movable across said discharge aperture to close the same when the lower portion of said container is swung by said spring away from said supporting member, the metal punched from said aperture in said spring extending upwardly References Cited in the file of this patent through said discharge aperture in said oontainer UNITED STATES PATENTS to agitate the material 1n said container, and

cooperating with said discharge aperture for Numbel Name Date guiding said lower portion of said spring in its 5 1,234,047 Ledford July 1917 movement relatively to said container, and means 1,254,409 Kobayashl 22, 1918 for holding said lower portion of said spring in 1'952'016 Krelqler 1934 2,358,913 DObklIl Sept. 26, 1944 sliding contact with the bottom of said container. 

